Kolthar Deathhammer
Dread Thane Kolthar Deathhammer, known in life as Kolthar Stormpike, is an undead dwarven warrior in service to the Banshee Queen, Sylvanas Windrunner. Once a famed warrior of the Stormpike Clan, he met his end fighting the Scourge in Lordaeron alongside many of his allies and was raised into undeath. Freed from the Lich King's grasp early on, he found that he was unable to return home after being raised. Following the only path available, Kolthar became a champion of the Banshee Queen; fanatically loyal to the person who gave him a chance to lead carnage once again. Kolthar led the Dreadpass until his defeat. Angered and disgraced, Kolthar was willing to stop at nothing to return to his queen's graces and reclaim his hammer that was left behind. With his lieutenant, Seylina Dusktreader having been executed, Kolthar seeked to reclaim Dreadpass and lead the mountain fortress alone. However, he was defeated once more during the battle at the gates of Gilneas, during which he seemingly perished only for his body to be nowhere to be found in the aftermath. It was unknown if Kolthar's body was retrieved or if the dwarf truly had survived. Given the rather quick move to find Kolthar's body by Nulric Ironcrag, someone would have needed to be prepared by the other side of the wall to retrieve the Dread Thane. It was found that such a thing was the case, as Kolthar's retreating troops witnessed his fall and were quick to retrieve him. The blast of energy Kolthar had unleashed was torrid to his body, destroying parts of it and twisting him apart. Brought back before Sylvanas in disgrace, she gave Kolthar a final chance to redeem himself by binding his broken body within an experimental plague golem, built off of dwarven design. Ultimately, the dwarven thane fell to Nulric Ironcrag after he was removed from the golem. Found sickened and green in skin from the plague as well as without legs, Kolthar's luck finally ran out when he was beheaded before the dwarves of Dun Boldihr for his crimes. History In life, Kolthar "Stormhammer" Stormpike was one of the Stormpike Clan's most fearsome warriors. As a child of both a Wildhammer clanswoman and a Stormpike warrior, Kolthar was raised in a mixed environment for dwarven heritage. Bearing a ferocious appetite for battle at a young age, Kolthar quickly out shined many of his peers in training sessions and was quickly elevated to a lead captain at Vanndar Stormpike's side; a distant cousin of Kolthar. Kolthar led several battles against the trolls of the Hinterlands and later the orcs of the Horde as they ravaged the landscape of Lordaeron in the Second War. Deemed "Stormhammer" by his peers, Kolthar carried with him a Wildhammer-infused battle hammer of his hill dwarf heritage. Deemed the Deathhammer, Kolthar was an unstoppable figure on the field of battle. Famed for his bravery, Kolthar once single handedly slaughtered an entire patrol of orcs with little more than his hammer and his wit. Kolthar was not without his flaws, however. Hotheaded and impatient, Kolthar would often find himself on the front-lines and the first to rush headlong into the enemy charge. As a result, Kolthar's methodology of tactics were typically highly aggressive. Regardless of this, however, Kolthar survived the Second War and returned home a hero. Crowned as a ceremonial Thane, Kolthar was never one to sit idle. When the Scourge washed over Lordaeron, Kolthar quickly rallied his men to aid the kingdom in crushing the undead menace. When Prince Arthas returned and betrayed Lordaeron, Kolthar held the line defending fleeing civilians before being mortally wounded and forced to retreat. Luck had granted Kolthar the ability to survive the battle, but his brashness would be his undoing. Rather than retreat home and recover, Kolthar continued to battle on the field with his injuries and was eventually swarmed and slain alongside the few clansmen that remained with him in Eastern Plaguelands. Never one to sacrifice an able body, Kolthar and his men were raised by the Lich King's forces; the Thane finding himself within the employ of the very monsters he sought to destroy in life. Once more, however, luck shined on Kolthar. When the Lich King's grasp was made strained by Illidan Stormrage, Kolthar was one of the many who broke free of the undead sovereign's hold. Wandering aimlessly, mind wracked by deranged thoughts and shattered, Kolthar seemed broken in undeath. He was unable to return home in his state, a thought that slowly twisted into believing his people had abandoned him, and his blood thirst had been twisted in undeath. He sought only destruction and the thrill of battle; something one person was willing to oblige him with fully. Having been found by Sylvanas Windrunner as she gathered her forces to conquer the remnants of Lordaeron, Kolthar was quickly brought into the fold with promises of battle and glory. With a shattered mind and little else to cling to, Sylvanas became like a deity to Kolthar; a goddess that had allowed him to continue the only thing he still remained fervent about. Changing his name to Kolthar Deathhammer, after his namesake weapon, he resumed his reputation as an unstoppable warrior. In time, Kolthar became one of Sylvanas' most trusted and able lieutenants. The foolhardy tactics of aggression in life held none of the fallback in death. His men were tireless, able to shrug off injuries that would kill mortal men. It was the perfect army for Kolthar, and only served to continue raising his fervent devotion for Sylvanas. Ultimately, Kolthar was sent to capture and watch over Dreadpass in the Barony of Faewood Valley. Though the idea of waiting irritated the undead thane, his devotion to his queen kept him in line. His original intentions to invade Faewood for the Forsaken were cut short, when Dreadpass was attacked before their invasion force could arrive by the Blades of Greymane, led by the Order of the Onyx Knights. Kolthar, backed by a frost wyrm that had been captured by Forsaken forces in the War against the Lich King, escaped Dreadpass when it was captured; meeting up with the invasion force. Vastly outnumbering the Gilneans, Kolthar led a headlong charge into the wall. With only one option, the Gilneans detonated the mountain pass, at the cost of Sir Siegmire the Wall. Yet once more, fate felt luck upon Kolthar, having been carried down with the blast rather than buried under the snow. Vowing vengeance for yet another defeat, Kolthar returned to Sylvanas and gathered an army to further reinforce their hold over the Greymane Wall. Meeting with the Gilneans a final time, Kolthar battled the Blades' special forces upon the wall before finally being defeated. Knocked off the wall as he channeled a spell to destroy the group, Kolthar was thought dead. In a beleaguered state, Nulric Ironcrag, the dwarf who had taken the Deathhammer after Kolthar's defeat, made his way to Kolthar's impact site. Horrified to discover, Kolthar was no where to be found; only an imprint of his body and fading away footsteps into the marsh where he should have been. With little to tell of if he'd survived or not, Kolthar's fate went unknown until the Congregation's Crusade. Accompanying a patrol under the guise of Plague Golem K.D., it was found Kolthar had been mechanically implanted into a dwarven golem infused with plague. Fighting the Blades, he was forced to square off with the Vrykul mercenary Varkyir Wyrmsbane. Ultimately, pride got the best of Kolthar once more, leading him to charge into the battle after his suit was damaged to attack Nulric Ironcrag. This attack proved to fail after a berserk attack from Berenal Grayblade destroyed most of the suit before Nulric finished him off. Having been found to be severely injured after the Wall and near death with the explosion, Nulric presented Kolthar before the people he had betrayed: the dwarves of all three major clans, all working together. With his final words echoed in is undead state, Kolthar accepted his death and was beheaded by Nulric, ending the Dread Thane's legacy. Category:Characters Category:Dwarf Category:Undead Category:Warriors Category:Forsaken Category:Deceased